This is Not Happening
by MsDubstep
Summary: After Eric's blunder in front of Nate, it's now his turn to squirm. (Just a silly tag from Paper Soldiers. Slight spoilers but nothing earth shattering.)


Eric Beale never knew he'd actually dread the quiet calmness of the evening, where everyone went home to go to the bar, catch a movie, or just go home and catch up on sleep.

But tonight, he had to face up to it. Eric had once again irritated his co worker and friend (and he wasn't too sure about that title right now), Nell Jones. And it would have been easier if she would have just kicked him in the groin after his word vomit earlier that day. With those clunky boots she liked to wear, it would have smarted like hell but it would have been easier to bear than the awkwardness of having acted like a total idiot today.

He ran a hand through his messy blonde hair. 'Seriously, Eric?' He berated himself in his mind. 'Why'd you have to blurt that to Nate of all people that you and Nell kissed?'

That was a very good question, no doubt one that Nell would be asking first and foremost if he managed to run into her tonight before she headed home.

Luck found favor with him as he spotted Nell heading toward the exit to the parking lot. He raced up to meet her. The sound of his flip flops loud on the tile floor didn't phase her one bit and she kept on walking. Eric wasn't going to have it, and he kept on going towards her, breaking out into a jog. His dad always said to never let a girl go to bed mad at you.

"Hey, Nell." Eric called out. "Wait up."

Nell stopped, perhaps sensing the hint of desperation in his voice. She sighed heavily and didn't turn around to look at him.

'She won't even look at me?' Eric's heart sort of twisted into a knot, staring at the back of her bright red pony tail. 'Way to go Eric. You messed up big time.'

"Walk me to my car." Nell said with a little sigh, still not turning to face him. "I don't want to talk about this here."

Eric's spirit raised a little. She was willing to hear him out, at least. He jumped at that chance as they walked out to Nell's car.

When they got there, Nell leaned against the hood of her Mini Cooper and finally looked up at Eric. Their eyes locked, and he saw irritation and almost anger in her expression. He wanted her just to smack him, to externalize how awful he felt for embarrassing her.

"I'm sorry." Eric started off. "I never meant to humiliate you."

"For?" Nell prompted.

"For saying what I said to Nate." Eric replied, giving Nell what she wanted to hear.

"And what did you say to him?" She asked, folding her arms. Oh she was going to really make him squirm wasn't she?

"For…telling Nate we kissed." Eric said, feeling himself turn red.

"Because it was none of his business." Nell stated. "It was a private thing and…I felt like you violated that. I don't care if Nate's a good friend of both of ours. It was…"

Nell stopped herself to collect her thoughts. Eric waited and watched. She was fascinating to look at when she was pensive like this in Ops. Like when she was looking over maps on the big screen, her eyes calm and serene, yet intensively focused.

But this wasn't something Eric liked to see now. She looked more unsettled now as she paused to think about what she'd say next, and he disliked it even more that he'd caused that unease.

Finally she spoke again. "It wasn't just to get you into the tights."

"Leggings." He corrected her without thinking.

"Whatever."

"Shutting up now." Eric wasn't about to miss whatever she was about to say.

"It was a spur of the moment thing." Nell confessed. "I wasn't really thinking when I kissed you, I just…did it."

"It was a mistletoe kiss." Eric said matter of factly.

"And it was just an excuse." Nell finished. "I had also done it to thank you."

"For what?" Eric was floored at this point. He couldn't process the thoughts flooding through his mind. All he knew that it this thing between them was more real than he thought imaginable.

"For being there for me when I needed a friend." Nell replied. "You comforted me when I was worried about Callen and the team, and then when Hetty went missing."

Eric nodded. "I didn't like to see you sad."

"You're a really sweet guy, Eric." Nell said, and Eric's heart did that twisty thing again. This is the part he hated. He should have been used to it by now but he never was. This was the pretense to something he always dreaded hearing from a woman he cared about. He was about to get dumped, and there was nothing he could do now but drown it in tequila and ice cream.

He then realized how overly dramatic that sounded and inwardly shook his head.

'Buck up, Beale.' He prepped himself for the inevitable.

"But..?" He found himself saying softly.

"But you need to stop getting jealous all the time." Nell finished.

"Wait, what?" Eric blurted out. "I wasn't…"

"Jealous?" Nell smirked. "Yeah, you sort of were. I saw it the minute Nate walked in."

Eric had to give her that one. He did tend to get a bit jealous. But seriously, who could blame him? Nell was incredibly intelligent, gorgeous, witty, and had a seemingly endless amount of talent. She was more desirable than she probably realized. So when a guy that was definitely better looking paid her attention, the first instinct was jealousy. It wasn't good, though, and he needed to keep that under wraps.

"I guess you aren't the only one with personality flaws to work on." Eric admitted. "I'm sorry."

"Besides, Nate and I will always just be friends." Nell reassured him. "We never dated. I'm…a bit too short for him, anyway."

Eric had to laugh at picturing Nate trying to kiss Nell. He would have had to almost pick her up, or bend down on his knees.

"I bet you two made quite a pair." Eric said with a grin. Nell smiled back, and Eric felt like everything was all right again.

"We did." Nell confirmed. "I'll have to tell you about how he and I met sometime."

"Definitely looking forward to it."

"So, are we cool then?" Eric tentatively asked.

"We're cool." Nell nodded.

Eric breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh good. I was afraid karma was going to kick me in the ass for a while there."

"Who said I was going to let you live it down, Mr. Beale?" Nell gave him a challenging stare, mixed with her own brand of mischief.

"Oh come on Nell, do you really have to?" Eric pleaded. "I said I was sorry."

"Good night, Eric." Nell continued to smile at him sweetly as she got in her car and started the engine.

"Nell." Eric called out in a futile effort to persuade her. "Nellster?"

Nell drove off leaving Eric even more scared than he was before he ran into her that night. At least she wasn't angry at him anymore, and that was something, right?


End file.
